The Protector of King Caspian
by Cynar
Summary: Even after Miraz' death, there are still followers of Miraz in Narnia. They are settled in the forest near by the castle. Aslan decides that Caspian needs a bodyguard to protect him but they soon find out that these accomplices of Miraz are very dangerous and they will need every help they can get. Set after the Prince Caspian movie.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, my native language is not English but I tried my very best to make good sentences. But if you find any incorrect words / sentences please let me know :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Narnia of any of it characters.**

**Have fun reading, I would love to know what you think of it!**

**Chapter 1**

Slowly the sun rose, her first strays fell on the bushy landscape. The land awakened, trees stretched and warmed itself by the morning sun. The birds in the trees blinked with their eyes, spread their wings and flew into the bright clear sky. There was no cloud to see. The birds landed on the branches after a few wing beats and began elated at their morning song. The sweet-voiced songs soon could be heard all around the beautiful landscape of Narnia.

A few miles away the Narnian castle came to life, fireplaces were lit and behind the windows there was movement. The wooden bridge from the main entrance came down with a gentle thud, and the citizens left to tend their farmlands outside the castle.

An hour passed by and everything was restful, until a lion appeared on the wooden bridge. The lion set course to the forest a few miles away from the castle, his quiet footsteps blew the leaves two inches of the ground. The trees followed the lion with their invisible eyes, but the majestic lion did not care and walked further in a calmly tempo. Slowly he disappeared in the shadows of the forest and after a few seconds the forest became calm again and it was like nothing had happened at all.

"Your Highness?"

Somewhere in the distance Caspian noticed the high-pitched voice of his servant. He didn't want to wake up, it was such a nice dream but it was too late. He woke up. He sighed and opened his eyes.

"What is it, Will?"

Caspian sat up and looked straight in the eyes of Will.

"Thank Aslan! You're awake," said Will nervously.

Will clearly was upset about something and Caspian decided to get up. Before he could stand up, his servant ran away to the next room to come back as fast as he went but now with Caspian's clothes in his arms. Will respectfully held them up and fixated his look down. Caspian grabbed the clothes and put them on by his self. For a moment he could see how shocked Will looked before he put on his 'neutral'-face. Will was supposed to help Caspian with everything, at order of the First Councilor of Narnia but Caspian was getting sick of it. He was capable of dressing himself, he did not need any help with that, he wasn't a child.

"Your Highness, you're expected in the conference room," said Will but Caspian interrupted him.

"First, I would like to eat something."

Will swallowed before he continued. "They… They were very clear, Your Majesty. You must meet your council now," stuttered Will afraid to discuss with the King of Narnia.

Caspian shrugged and walked towards the dining room. Will followed him quickly with quiet passes.

"My King…"

Caspian sighed annoyed. What could be more important than he having his breakfast?

"Will, you have my permission to leave me and tell the councilors I will be having breakfast first. I may be King but that doesn't mean I am Almighty. A human needs food."

"But…"

"Now, Will!" commanded Caspian with a deep voice. His servant looked at him with big eyes but gave in.

"As you wish, Your Highness," said Will with a small voice. As quick as he could he turned around and ran in the direction of the conference room.

Caspian's footsteps echoed loudly trough the hall and every time his foot touched the stone floor a different thought of the same memory popped in his head.

_Susan. Susan dressed in the most beautiful dress of Narnia. Susan saying farewell. Susan kissing me._

He shook his head to drive back the memories, why couldn't he forget about her? He knew she was never to come back but he still wished she could. He also hoped that one day Lucy and Edmund would come back and if that happens he hoped he would still be alive.

Caspian knew about the time difference between Narnia and their world which they called Earth. There could a week pass by at Earth which could be hundreds of years here in Narnia. He really hoped he would see the two youngest Pevensies again. Susan too of course but well, that was impossible. The two oldest would never come back.

Finally he reached the dining room and the guards opened the massive doors for him. Inside the room three servants came walking towards him and bowed deep. So deep that their noses almost touched the floor.

"What would Your Highness like to eat at this beautiful morning?" asked the servant in the middle.

"The same as always, Geoffrey," answered Caspian.

"Are you sure, Majesty? We have caught fish and…"

"The same, Geoffrey," interrupted Caspian him.

Geoffrey and the other two servants made another reverence and walked backwards to the room next to this one to get bread with ham and cheese.

Not long after that Geoffrey came back with a silver plate with two sandwiches on it. The ham and cheese lay beside it.

Geoffrey almost dropped everything when the doors swung open and hit the walls with a loud noise. Will ran inside and stopped slipping in front of Caspian.

_What is it now,_thought Caspian.

"Your Highness, the council is expecting you now! It is very, very important!"

Caspian took the two sandwiches which has finally reached him and put some cheese and ham on top of it.

"Tell me, Will. Every time it is the same: I am summoned and when I finally arrive there, it is not that important as the councilors have said. They act like everything is a matter of life or death but I can solve their problem within minutes?" Caspian took a bite of his sandwich and looked stern in the eyes of his personal servant.

"I… Well… I am sure that is not this time. I am really sure it is very important, Majesty," stuttered Will eventually.

"Alright then." Caspian laid back his sandwiches on the silver plate and turned around to follow Will towards the council.

After a few minutes they reached the conference room and Will opened the doors for him.

"Lords of the Council, I heard from my servant that this meeting is more important than I thought," said Caspian while he walked into the room and set course to his throne at the other side of the room.

"It sure is, my King," said Lord Santino when Caspian finally sat on his throne. Caspian leaned with his head on his hand and drummed his fingers of his other hand against the railing of the throne.

"Well… What is it then?" asked Caspian.

"We have heard from reliable sources that Aslan went to the encampments in the forest just a few miles away. We know that followers of Miraz are settled there. Aslan went to the enemy, my King!" answered Lord Santino.

Caspian stopped drumming his fingers and looked more and more angry while the words of Lord Santino penetrated him.

"So… Let me get this correctly: I am called here, haven't had breakfast because you listen to the gossip of 'reliable sources'?! May I ask who those reliable sources are? Bakers? Citizens who think that behind everything there is a secret?" he asked angry with a deep voice which echoed through the room. He looked at the councilors one by one and noticed that they were afraid to answer.

"But it is true, Your Highness! Aslan went to the forest. People have seen him!" said Lord Morton.

Caspian threw a stern look at the Lord. "Towards the forest doesn't mean towards the encampments of the enemy."

"But the encampments are in that forest, my King!"

"I am sure Aslan had a good reason to get to the forest."

"I sure did," came the majestically voice of Aslan from the doorway.

Caspian and the councilors jumped out of their chairs and bowed deeply.

"Aslan," they murmured at the same time while Aslan walked towards the midst of the room.

Caspian pointed his look off the floor and saw a figure in the doorway. He blinked a few times and before he knew it the figure was gone.

Aslan saw his surprised face and asked: "Is there something the matter?"

Caspian fixated his look at Aslan and looked in the golden-brown eyes of the lion.

"I thought… Never mind," answered Caspian confused.

Aslan looked for just a moment with a frown at Caspian but then turned towards the councilors.

"My lords, you were right about one thing: I was in the forest near the encampments. We must discuss a very important matter."


	2. Chapter 2

** Luv: Thank you for your review! If have changed the sentence, and about your comment… You will find out this chapter!**

**Chapter 2**

Caspian was relieved when he finally could leave the council meeting. He never had a meeting that long in his whole life. The sun was now high in the sky; it must have been a few hours. Caspian hadn't understood all of the meeting. It was all very confusing: something about monsters who had supported Miraz and after his dead they decided to take Narnia on their own. For the past few months they had caused a lot of trouble in Narnia. Caspian still wondered why he didn't know anything about that while his council apparently had known. The councilors were only surprised that the monsters now were this close to the castle. They were only a few miles away.

Caspian thought that they had overreacted. The monsters couldn't be that bad, right? After all, what was he supposed to imagine when they were talking about monsters?

_Green ugly creatures?_ he thought but he was pretty sure there were no such things in Narnia.

The other thing that was on his mind was that he now was shadowed by a person. Aslan told him it was for his own safety.

_Great is that, like I can't take care of myself, _he thought furious. But he had to admit that he was quite curious about the person.

_Probably I already have seen him, _he thought when he remembered the mysterious figure in the doorway at the beginning of the meeting.

Before he actually noticed it he was in the courtyard of the castle. His feet had carried him unnoticed away from the conference room towards the courtyard. He inhaled the fresh air and looked around him. Geoffrey hadn't lied, it was a beautiful day.

_It would be nice to go for a little stroll,_ he thought and decided that he would. He walked in the direction of the drawbridge but he couldn't help to look suspicious around; would he really be followed everywhere? How more he thought about it, how creepier it sounded so Caspian decided not to think about it again. Still he couldn't stop himself from searching for the figure but to his disappointment he couldn't find him.

At the end of the bridge he stood still and wondered where he could go. The farms or perhaps the village? He sighed; he was been there so many times already. In the corner of his eye he saw the forest. If he'd go there perhaps then he could see just a glimpse of the encampments. Perhaps then he would understand why Aslan and his councilors were so afraid of the monsters. But the forest was a few miles away and he didn't want to stay away long; the accounting was still waiting for him. He decided to get his horse Destrier. That way he would be much faster.

He turned around on his heels and ran in the direction of the stables. He ignored the weird looks he did get when he passed by. It was not often that they saw the King running.

Caspian entered the tack room andgrabbed the bridle and saddle that belonged to his horse. He felt like a packed donkey while he jogged to Destrier's stable. Destrier whinnied when it saw his owner. Caspian saddled his horse, mounted him and went to the bridge and from there on in the direction of the forest.

* * *

After half an hour he had reached the edge of the forest and he doubted if he should go on by foot.

_Would the encampments be at the beginning of the woods or more at the end, _he wondered by himself. The middle of the forest sounded most logic so he decided to ride a bit further. He had to keep his eyes wide open and listen carefully at his surroundings. In that way he should be able to notice when he was coming closer to the encampments.

After a few minutes he suddenly heard a noise above him. Startled he held back Destrier and looked up. Was he imagining things or did he see a pair of light-green eyes staring at him? Uncomfortable he urged his horse to a trot. He didn't like this.

_Being shadowed is nothing for me. I absolutely don't feel safer with a stranger watching over me, _he thought while he looked around him. He thought every shadow was something and he had goose bumps all over his body.

After riding another few minutes he noticed there was nothing to be heard here: no wind, birds or surrounding noises. There was a weird atmosphere here. Caspian dismounted Destrier and bound him onto the nearest tree.

On his qui vive he crept to the edge of the path. In the distance he saw…

_No way. I have found the encampments of the monsters. _Ducked so that he wouldn't be discovered he crawled towards the camp.

_I just want to know what they look like. Then I will be going, _thought he while he step by step came closer.

He was only a few metres away when suddenly he heard a soft thud behind him. Scared he turned as quickly as he could but it was too slow. A dark figure grabbed him and covered his mouth.

"Hunting monsters are we, King?" whispered a voice in his ear.

Caspian struggled to get loose but the grip of the posture was too strong.

"Let go of me!" he tried to say but his voice was smothered by the hand.

The figure dragged him with him but Caspian noticed it was not to the camp. The truth hit him like a bomb: this wasn't a monster, it was his shadow. He stopped struggling and in a few moments they were back on the path.

The figure took away his hand and Caspian turned around. But behind him there was no one. Confused he looked around but there really was no one to be found apart his horse. He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.

"Isn't a shadow only supposed to shadow and not to intervene?" he whispered softly. He hoped the shadow would hear him although he had said it quietly. Moments passed by without an answer.

_He must be gone then,_ he thought.

"I think in this case I was allowed to intervene," answered a voice just as softly as his.

Caspian scared so much that he almost jump half a meter in the air. The voice chuckled. The sound came from above and Caspian saw that the mysterious figure was hiding between the branches. The figure was dressed in black and had a hood pulled over his head. Only the light-green eyes were visible underneath the hat.

"Don't laugh at me," said Caspian ashamed.

"Ssst! Do you want to get caught by the monsters? Mount your horse and ride back to the castle, King."

Caspian expected that the figure now again would disappear miraculous like before. Instead the figure stayed where he was and followed all of Caspian's movements with his eyes. Uncomfortable Caspian shuffled back to his horse and mounted it. He threw one last nervous look at the mysterious figure and rode back to the castle.

* * *

When Caspian finally reached the castle, Aslan waited at him at the courtyard.

_This can't be good… _As fast he could he dismounted and asked for a stable boy. A few moments later a boy came running towards him and Caspian pushed the reins in his hand.

"Rub him dry, feed him and water him. After that he can be put back in his stable," ordered Caspian the stable boy. The boy nodded and led Destrier away in the direction of the stables. When they were out of sight Caspian took a deep breath and walked as calmly he could to Aslan.

Aslan shook with his golden manes and watched at him with a frown.

"What did you thought to achieve by visiting the encampments?" asked Aslan furiously.

"I just wanted to know what they looked like. Don't you think that is important for a king? To know what his enemies looks like? And how do you know I was there?" answered Caspian.

Again Aslan shook his head. "If you wanted to know what they looked like why didn't you search for a book with pictures? What you did was irresponsible! And I know you were there because your shadow is faster than you are. She came to me ten minutes ago. We…"

"Wait… She?" interrupted Caspian him surprised. He was convinced it was a man.

"Yes. She. We are lucky she was there. What did we have to do if you were caught? We should have immediately surrendered. You have no wife and no children. It would be a lost case," grumbled Aslan angry.

Caspian didn't dare to look straight at Aslan. He always felt like a little child when he was nearby the lion. Caspian muttered something that sounded like an apology and Aslan was satisfied by it. The majestic lion walked away.

Caspian watched him go and was thinking about their conversation when he heard something next to him. He expected it was his professor who probably was angry at him because the accounting was still waiting for him.

He looked beside him and saw to his shock two light-green eyes. It indeed was a she but not as he expected. She was about his age and had changed her black suit for a harness. The harness consisted of plates with the size of a hand. The most plates were brown but here and there were red ones to be seen. Around her neck there hang a blue amulet that pulserde at the rhythm of a beating heart. On her left hip there was a long sword and a dagger on her other hip. Her hair was black as the night and was pinned up in a high ponytail. She was very impressive but her eyes were the most noticeable. They reminded Caspian most like the eyes of a cat and she probably moved like one too. Her posture was slim but gracious.

The girl scraped her throat and Caspian realized he was staring at her with his mouth a bit open. He closed it and tried to figure out what to say but she kept distracting him. She was very beautiful with her heart-formed face with a few freckles. It was a normal face but her eyes made it a bit eccentric.

"Aren't you supposed to shadow me?" he finally said.

The girl smiled whereby her white teeth could be seen.

"Aslan forgot to tell you he made me your personal guard," she answered with a velvet voice.

Caspian could hit himself because he thought his shadow was a man. How could he be so wrong?

"This means," she continued, "you will discuss everything with me: what you are going to do, where you're going etcetera. And of course, I will decide if that is a good idea or not."

Unbelievable Caspian looked at her, the girl was serious and it sounded like she thought it was funny.

"I am King. I don't have to discuss anything with you if I don't have to," he said but soon he realized it sounded childish so he continued quickly: "What is your name anyway? I don't even know you."

The girl smiled again and made a deep reverence that somewhat was sneeringly.

"Serenity is my name, King."

"I'd rather not have you call me King. It sounds condescending the way you say it," he answered.

"As you wish, Highness." And again she made a sneeringly reverence.

Caspian started to annoy it but at the same time he was amused. She was very strange but at a funny way.

"Highness is condescending too," he said.

Serenity put her right hand on her flank and let her left hand rested on the handgrip of her sword.

"But how else am I supposed to call you?" she asked with a smile and without Caspian noticed he smiled back.

"Just Caspian."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi again :) **

**Have fun reading and I would like to hear what you think of it!**

**Chapter 3**

_If there is one thing for sure, it is that being the personal guard of the King is pretty boring, _Serenity thought while she hid her yawn behind her left hand. It was a month later since she was asked by Aslan to shadow the King but nothing had happened yet. She was wondering where the monsters were up to; it was too calm. So quiet that it was suspicious.

It was the second time today that Caspian had a meeting with the villagers. Serenity stood at the right side of the throne and was only half listening to the drivel of the citizen. Somebody had bought his sheep but there was never paid for.

She sighed frustrated and the man looked at her nervously. He thanked the King for his time, said he would take care of it himself and fled the throne room. Surprised Serenity watched him go; she was not that scary was she?

"Was that the last one?" she asked hopefully to Caspian.

He only shrugged and looked at the guard, who was guarding the doorway. The guard shook his head and said: "There are still two waiting in the hallway, Your Majesty."

"Two? That's not so much," added Serenity and Caspian mumbled approvingly. Worried she looked at him from the corner or her eye. He didn't look like he was his normal self. But yeah, if she had to listen to the whining of citizens and had to come up with some kind of solution ánd twice a day, then she too would get grumpy.

Caspian sipped from his silver cup and waved with his hand the next villager inside.

* * *

One hour later the hallway was finally empty and Caspian leaned exhausted back in his throne. He put the crown of his head and drank the last bit of water that was still in his cup.

"Can we guide you to the dining room?" asked one of the guards. It was almost lunchtime but Caspian shook his head.

"No. I'll stay here for a while. You all can go," he answered and he waved everyone away.

The guards left the throne room but Serenity stayed where she was. It was her duty to stay with the King. When everyone had left the room, apart from Serenity, Caspian stood up and began walking through the room. Serenity observed him for a few moments until she couldn't stand it anymore.

"Is there something wrong, Caspian?" she asked.

Caspian stopped walking and looked at her. He shrugged, mumbled something and started walking again. Serenity was getting really nervous now.

"Has it something to do with…"

"To do with what?" he shouted moody.

Serenity was almost too afraid to say something else but that was ridiculous. She had deal with more dangerous things than a cantankerous king.

"Has it something to do with that it is almost a year since the Kings and Queens of Old left Narnia? Back to their world, I mean?"

Caspian stopped walking again and threw furiously his hands above his head. "I know! I must go on and stop thinking about her but I can't! I can't forget her!"

He was talking about Queen Susan understood Serenity. She didn't know what to answer; she herself didn't have much experience with love. But luckily she did not have to answer because Caspian continued talking.

"It is already one year ago. I know she can't come back but still I keep hoping. I just want to see her one last time. To hold her one last time…"

Meanwhile he was in front of Serenity. He looked her deep in her eyes, sighed deep and turned around. Probably to start walking again but Serenity grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

"You have to go on with your life, Caspian. I know it is hard but you cannot wait for someone who will probably never come back."

Caspian widened his eyes. "What do you mean 'probably'? She can't come back."

_Oops._Serenity started to feel uncomfortable. "I just meant… I meant she can come back but Aslan wanted her to live in her own world. Of course she can come back but Aslan will make sure no portal comes close to her."

Caspian's mouth dropped open. "What?! He will make sure? Now it sounds like he is evil!" he shouted.

"Aslan is not evil but he does it. It was time for her to live in her world. She has lived a whole life in Narnia, it was about time she did the same in her own world."

Caspian started to look angrier. "You mean you agree with Aslan?" he asked unbelievable and Serenity did not know what to say.

"Your silence speaks for itself, Serenity," he said angry and he stomped away from the room.

She wanted to go after him but if she did that she wouldn't know what to say. She stayed where she was en stomped frustrated with her foot on the floor. The sound reflected a few times against the marble walls whereby it looked like a gigantic Minotaur paraded through the room.

_Well, and now? _she wondered after a few minutes standing alone in the throne room. She was his guard after all so she decided to follow him. She wouldn't say anything, just follow. Slowly she walked towards the door and headed to the dinner room. She hoped that Caspian was there, where else was she supposed to search for him? She now lived a few weeks in the castle and finding the way was not that hard as first. After only a week she was able to find the most important rooms on her own but still she kept finding hallways which she didn't know they existed. She was wondering if Caspian truly knew the whole castle by heart.

The dining room was in the left wing of the castle so she walked down the main hall and went left at the end.

After a few minutes she finally saw the wooden sign which said: "Dining Room". She sighed relieved, she started to think she was lost. One of the servants opened the huge wooden doors that led inside and Serenity stepped inside the room. After a few short looks she noticed that Caspian wasn't there. Fast she walked to the kitchen and asked the cook if she had seen the King. The cook answered that she hadn't seen him since this morning.

* * *

_Caspian, where are you? _asked Serenity herself after she had visited his – empty – office. The King was nowhere to be found. Nobody had seen him since this morning.

Perhaps his servant Will knew where he was. Hasty she went looking for Will but then she realized she didn't know where all servants stayed when they had an afternoon off.

_By the roar of Aslan! How hard can it be to find someone! _She looked around her and tried to figure out where she hadn't been yet. The dining room, his bedroom and his office were all empty. Perhaps he went to the stables to go for a ride. It wouldn't be the first time.

As fast as the wind she ran downstairs and crossed the courtyard in the direction of the stables.

"Aslan Almighty! Where is he?!" yelled Serenity when she only found Destrier in his stable. The horse looked up and whinnied at her. Serenity threw her hands in the air and turned around on her heels. If Destrier was a talking horse everything would be much easier. The horse knew him better than anyone else and would have probably known where Caspian was.

Again she wanted to curse in the name of Aslan when she realized it: she had to tell Aslan she lost Caspian. Aslan would know where he was, Aslan knew everything.

To search for him in the High World would cost her too much time and a lot of energy so she hold her light-blue amulet in her hands and closed her eyes.

_Aslan, I have to talk to you,_ she thought and slowly she opened her eyes again. A light breeze came up and suddenly the lion stood in front of her. Aslan looked at her with his golden-brown eyes.

"You've lost him," he declared.

Serenity nodded ashamed. "We had a fight and I thought some time alone would calm him down. I didn't expect he would disappear!"

Aslan nodded like he understood but Serenity felt that he was a bit disappointed. At this moment Serenity didn't really care; the most important now was that they knew where Caspian was.

The lion closed his eyes and a heavy gust spread over the land but Serenity saw the golden glow that it involved. Only a few were able to see it and Serenity was one of them.

After a few moments Aslan opened his eyes and said: "I know where he is. You have to get him back as quickly as possible."

For a moment Serenity didn't understood what he meant but when she did she widened her eyes and ran swearing in the direction of the Portal Tree behind the castle.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Susan looked bored and tapped restless with her fingers on the table where she sat. It was her last class and it was really tiresome. Why had she chosen philosophy again? She had thought that perhaps they were going to talk about possible other worlds but the professor didn't believe in that. The only thing he wanted to talk about was life and death.

She sighed deep and threw a look at the clock above the doorpost.

_Yet a quarter of an hour away from salvation, _she thought tiresome and after a few moments she began thinking about her time in Narnia.

_Perhaps kissing Caspian was a bad idea, _she thought while the professor kept on babbling. _I knew I wasn't ever to come back and still I kissed him! Now I can't stop thinking about his beautiful brown eyes and his soft lips…_

She startled when suddenly she heard her name: the teacher had asked her a question.

"Uhm, I did not listen… I am sorry," she answered ashamed and felt her cheeks were getting warm.

Professor Brown winced and pointed to another student who did know something to answer. Susan supposed that that was the bright side of philosophy: an answer was never truly wrong as long you were able to give your opinion about a subject.

When the class was finally over she jumped up, grabbed her stuff and hurried out of the classroom. She had still one hour left until it was dinnertime so she decided that first she would bring her satchel to her room. She walked to the main hall and took the stairs to the third floor. She shared her room with three other girls who sat in the same year as Susan but none of them was her friend.

A minute later Susan arrived at her chamber and she hoped there was no one else but her hope was in vain. When she opened the door she saw that Melissa sat on her bed reading a book.

"Hi," greeted Susan her friendly.

Melissa looked up from her book and nodded to her. Melissa was a bit like Susan; also quiet and shy. It were the other two girls that Susan couldn't stand.

Susan threw her satchel in the corner by her bed and plopped down on her bed.

"What are you reading?" asked Susan curious to Melissa.

Melissa looked up again and quickly closed the book. "Nothing special," she answered nervous and she hid her book under her pillow.

"Oh, okay," Susan reacted. There was a moment of silence until she had an idea.

"I am reading," she bended forward and grabbed the book that was lying under her bed, "this one!"

She looked at the cover and said: "It is called '_**The Hobbit**_'. It's about a Halfling named Bilbo Baggins. Together with a wizard and thirteen dwarfs they go on a quest to reclaim the dwarfs' homeland: Erebor."

Susan probably liked the book so much because it was set in a different world. It reminded her of Narnia.

Melissa stood up and sat curious on the edge of Susan's bed. Susan handed the book over to her and Melissa took it carefully. Melissa flipped it through and read the back of the book. After a few moments she gave the book back to Susan and stood up. After a moment of hesitation she walked back to her bed and lifted her pillow to grab the book.

"I was reading my self-written book," she said while she held it up to show it to Susan. Susan looked at it and saw indeed that it was more like a diary.

"It is already finished but I was re-reading it," Melissa said and she gave the book to Susan. Susan opened it and saw that it was all hand-written.

"That's nice! What is it about?" Susan asked.

Melissa wanted to answer but at the same moment the heck went down and she quickly said: "I'll tell you some other time."

The door swung open and Deborah and Heather came inside. Without saying something to the others, they threw their satchels in the corner of their side of the room and left. Of course they hadn't closed the door. Susan shook her head annoyed, stood up and closed the door with a loud noise. Further in the hallway she heard the two girls giggling.

Susan looked at the clock above the door and saw it was already a quarter to six. At six o'clock dinner would be served.

"Shall we go downstairs, Melissa?" asked she and Melissa nodded. Side by side they walked to the first floor where the dining room was.

Meanwhile they talked small talk but soon a silence fell upon them. That was why Susan was glad when they met her sister Lucy on the stairs. Lucy and her group of friends joined Susan and Melissa and quickly a conversation started again.

"How about visiting the village tomorrow with Peter and Edmund?" Lucy asked to Susan. Today was Friday and in the weekend they were free to go where ever they wanted. Susan answered that she would like that. It would be quite a relief to leave the boarding school for a while.

"What time should we leave?" Susan asked.

"A bit early, I guess. In that way we have the whole day to walk around," answered Lucy.

Susan nodded approvingly and they agreed that they would go to the boys boarding school across the road at eight-thirty.

When they arrived at the dining room the group split up. Lucy and her friends sat by their own year and Susan and Melissa sat by their classmates.

Dinner was not that special but still Susan at it happily. She was so excited about tomorrow, it was a week since they had arrived at their boarding school – and left Narnia – so she really wanted to see her brothers again.

* * *

The next morning the alarm went early and moaning Susan get up. Even in the weekend breakfast was at seven-thirty. If you were late, you could forget your breakfast. Just like the other girls Susan quickly changed her pajamas for her daily clothes. Deborah was the fastest and ran to the bathroom that they had to share with four of them and locked the door. Annoyed Heather knocked on the bathroom door and said that she had to pee really bad.

For a moment Susan listened to the two arguing girls but then she shrugged to Melissa and grabbed her brush that lay on her sleeping compartment. As fast as she could she brushed her dark brown hair and left the chamber. Melissa followed her quickly. In the distance they still could hear the two arguing girls and they laughed together.

When they finally entered the dining room, Susan sat down beside Lucy who still was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Lucy's classmates looked surprised at Susan but she didn't care. It was no obligation to sit by your year in the weekends.

"And? Are you ready to have a fun day?" Susan asked to Lucy as she pulled a bowl of oatmeal to herself. Yawning Lucy answered that she was and she smiled lightly.

"Let's go," said Lucy when they had finished their breakfast. Susan looked at the time and saw that it was almost eight-thirty. The boys would have finished their breakfast too by now. Susan nodded and they stood up at the same time.

"Shall we meet in front of the gate? I have to get my coat," asked Lucy her.

"No problem. I have to get my coat as well," she answered.

The two sisters broke up but within five minutes they met again in front of the gate. They crossed the road and stood still in front of the boys' gate.

"Do you think it is open?" Lucy asked uncomfortable.

Susan looked around to see if there was no one and tried to open the gate. Squeakily the gate opened and after looking around again they walked towards the entrance of the school. They tried to make as less noise as they could – because they weren't sure if they were allowed to be here – but that was quite hard. Their black shoes made a very loud noise on the path. They were relieved when Susan spotted the window of their brothers' bedroom. She tapped Lucy on her shoulder and pointed to the window.

They walked further on the lawn in the direction of the window. When they were a few meters away from it, they stopped and Susan searched for a pebble. In a few moments she found one and threw it against the window. She hoped Peter and Edmund where inside. There was no movement to see so Susan threw another one against the window. What did they have to do when no one answered? Should they enter the school and go search for them inside? Just when Susan wanted to throw another pebble they saw movement behind the window. The curtain was pulled away and they saw Edmund's face behind the window. Quickly Lucy pointed to all of them and then to the buildings in the distance. Edmund understood the hint and disappeared, probably to get Peter.

Lucy and Susan walked back to the gate to wait for their brothers there. Long they hadn't to wait because within a few minutes the door of the main entrance opened and Peter and Edmund walked to them.

Without hesitation they set course to the village before someone could call them back.

* * *

A few hours later they were getting hungry so Peter decided to treat them. A few buildings away they saw a bakery and Peter took his wallet.

"How about something from the baker?" he asked.

They all nodded enthusiastic and walked to the bakery. Soon they were there but before Susan could enter the bakery she felt a hand on her shoulder. Confused she turned around and behind her stood the person from her dreams. Susan gasped and whispered: "Caspian?"

Confused the other three also turned around and to their surprise Caspian was indeed there. Caspian blushed and stroke through his black hair. For a moment it was completely silence and it looked like the whole universe was holding his breath but then Peter smiled and shook happily Caspian's hand. After Peter, Edmund and Lucy greeted Caspian enthusiastic but when it was Susan's turn she hold still in front of Caspian. She didn't know how long it was been since they had left Narnia. It was only a week for them but it could have been a few years for Caspian. She didn't know if Caspian still loved her and that was why she hesitated. She didn't know how to react but Caspian slowly stretched his arm and softly stroke her cheek. Susan tried her very best not to cry and hugged Caspian. He hugged her back and held her tight.

**Well... For the reviewers that where worried about a romance between Serenity and Caspian, I think it is now quite obvious that there is not going to be a romance between them. Go Susan and Caspian! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The sun was bright and blinded Serenity when she stepped through the Portal Tree. She blinked a few times with her eyes and when she was used to the light, she looked around. Earth… Men, she hated this world, she was been here a few times before but she hadn't liked it. The people were arrogant and had no respect for nature. That was one of the reasons why magic had abandoned this world ages ago. She took a deep breath but regretted that immediately: filthy, stinking automobiles had polluted the air and she coughed a few times. Annoyed she watched her surroundings, it appeared she was nearby a little village. She hoped the Tree had listened to her and dropped her close to Caspian. Her intuition said that - if the Tree had listened - she had to look for Caspian in the town. She started walking and hoped meanwhile with all of her heart that Caspian was indeed there to be found.

Serenity tried not to draw much attention to her but still she noticed that people looked strange at her. But well, she didn't exactly looked normal in her harness and her sword on her hip. Perhaps she had to change clothes first before she had left? She shook her head, nonsense; she didn't had time for that. She had to find Caspian, right now! Worried she started running and when she was finally in the village, she stopped and panted lightly. She stood with her hands on her hips and tried to figure out where to go now. Where did she have to start? She was on square which was probably the center of the town. Her eyes fell on a group who sat by the fountain on the other side of the square. She could only see their back but she guessed Caspian was with them when she recognized the black mid-length hair. That he was with four others could only mean one thing: he had found the Kings and Queens of Old. Her heart bonked in her throat, what did she had to do now? Just drag him with her?

While she was still thinking, the group suddenly started walking. Quickly she hid in the shadows of the buildings and she decided to follow them and confront them when there wouldn't be so much bystanders.

Serenity followed them quietly and now she knew for sure it was Caspian. He too stood out with his clothing. Although he hadn't worn any weapons or armor when he had left Narnia, he looked a bit odd in his white blouse with puffed sleeves and long black boots. Nobody in this world walked around like that and people threw strange looks at him but Caspian didn't notice. He was too busy talking to one of the girls. He had put his arm on her shoulders and whispered softly in her ears and the girl giggled. Queen Susan, concluded Serenity. The Queen of Old who Caspian met more than a year ago and who he fell in love with.

When they walked into a quiet alley, Serenity saw her change. She speeded up so she was now only a few feet away from them. She stopped walking, crossed her arms and shouted – with a loud bouncing heart – his name.

"Caspian!"

Startled the Kings and Queens froze and turned around. Caspian turned around last with his shoulders hanging. He probably had recognized her voice and knew what was coming. Serenity felt that the Kings and Queens of Old looked at her and she had trouble to only look at Caspian.

"Caspian, you have to come back with me," she said. "We do not know how much time is already passed by in Narnia."

"I haven't been here that long; only one afternoon. How long can it possibly have been since I left Narnia?" Caspian questioned her.

Serenity shook her head in disbelief and fixated her look on Queen Susan. She had heard Susan was a smart one.

"How long has it been since you all have left Narnia?" she asked.

"A week," answered Susan.

"Well, it has been a year in Narnia. How long can one afternoon be?"

Susan frowned while she was doing the math.

"It could be more than a few months…" she said quietly. Caspian looked at her with wide eyes and he went pale.

"We could already have lost," said Serenity and Caspian went even paler. He couldn't belief he already could have lost his kingdom while he was been a King for only a year but loosing Susan now he had just found her… He didn't like that either.

"I can't go back," he answered eventually and Serenity sighed annoyed. This was ridiculous, he couldn't stay here.

"Caspian…" she started but he raised his hand to silence her.

"No, I don't want to go back. This world is amazing. I already have seen so much and learned so many from this world. Perhaps I should stay here for a while, just like the Pevensies did in our world. They too learned a lot from Narnia, who said it can't be the other way around?"

For a moment Serenity didn't know what to answer but then she decided to play it his way.

"Fine. But you do realize that every minute you are here, years can pass by in Narnia? Are you really prepared to give everything up where you worked so hard for the last year, just to be with Queen Susan?"

She didn't want to make Caspian feel guilty but she didn't know another way to get him back to Narnia. Caspian shuffled with his feet and looked from her to Susan and back again.

"Caspian," said Susan while she softly laid her hand on his arm, "you don't have to stay here just for me. I… We didn't belong in Narnia. But you do."

Serenity tried her very best to hide her joy; Queen Susan agreed with her!

Caspian looked at Susan as she was a stranger but Susan didn't look away and eventually Caspian yielded. His dark brown eyes went sad but then started walking to Serenity. She sighed relieved and she looked at the Kings and Queens of Old. Just like all other Narnians she had heard a lot about them. They were indeed still young and that while they had lived many years in Narnia. One by one she looked at them and she started to feel guilty. The Pevensies looked as if a beautiful dream just had shattered in a thousand pieces, and she caused it.

She hesitated for a moment but then she decided she couldn't let Caspian leave like this.

"Wait," she said and Caspian and the Pevensies looked hopefully up, "the monsters that are threatening us are really strong. We need good leaders to defeat them." She was silent for a moment to let them think about her words.

"Who wants to come to Narnia with us?" she then asked.

Yaws dropped and they whispered to each other in amazement.

"But I thought Susan and I couldn't go back?" asked Peter.

Serenity shrugged.

"Yes but I am no Aslan. I have my own portal to come back and I can take whoever I want," she answered while she took her gently pulsing amulet from her neck.

"But what will Aslan say when he sees us?" Susan asked nervous.

Again Serenity shrugged.

"What can he say? Deep down he knows that if you two don't help, Narnia will lose."

Caspian stared at her; he didn't knew it was this serious. But Serenity didn't want to lie anymore. They were strong and it already was been a lost cause when they decided to turn against them. But perhaps with the Kings and Queens of Old on their side, Narnia could have chance…

The Kings and Queens only hesitated for a short moment but then they agreed and walked to Serenity.

"Go stand in a circle around me and hold hands," she commanded and they did as she said. Serenity clutched her amulet between her hands and closed her eyes.

_Bring us back to the castle in Narnia, _she thought and she hoped the magic would listen to her. It was after all a living thing and did as it wanted but then a bright blue flash appeared and all of them disappeared from Earth.

**I am sorry it is not as long as the other chapters but I thought this was a nice moment to end it. Oh and it can take a while before I post the next chapter because I haven't decided yet what happens next. So first I will write it in my mother tongue and then I will translate it… **

**I hope you all enjoyed it so far and see you next chapter! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Well, I am a bit quicker than I expected! :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

With a bright flash they appeared in Destrier's stable. The horse whinnied scared and pranced so high he almost hit the ceiling.

"Hmm, not quite as planned," muttered Serenity beside Caspian and he chuckled.

Behind him he heard startled sounds when they realized where they were.

"What… Where am I standing in?!" shouted Edmund and he sighed.

Caspian turned around and laughed.

"Yeah, laugh all you will. You can easily talk, you're not standing in a turd!" grumbled Edmund while he looked angrily at Caspian.

The other ones started laughing too when they saw Edmund's plight and he pushed them out of the stable so he wouldn't stand in it anymore.

When everyone left the stable, Caspian shut it and tried to calm down Destrier with soft noises. He stroked his snout and Destrier calmed down a bit. Caspian turned around again and his heart jumped from joy. She was here! Susan was back in Narnia! He smiled to her and she smiled back. He then took her hand and led them all out of the stables.

Within a few seconds they walked on the courtyard when he suddenly stopped.

_What now?_ he wondered. The Kings and Queens of Old where here now but what was the plan? He frowned, did they just had to wait?

Serenity coughed and he looked at her. She looked back with a stern look and then he realized: they were back but they had no clue about what had happened. He let go of Susan's hand and wanted to walk to his Professor's office, when suddenly he saw the great golden lion in the corner of his eye. His breath faltered, Aslan… What wouldn't he think? He froze but then decided to walk towards the majestic lion. But Serenity was faster, just as fast as the wind she ran to Aslan and stopped in front of him.

"How long?" was the only thing he heard Serenity ask.

"Not long. Two days," answered Aslan, and Caspian was relieved. He had expected worse.

Aslan's eyes went to the two oldest Pevensies – who had also decided to join Aslan - and he frowned.

"What are they doing here?" Aslan asked.

The Kings and Queens looked to each other uncomfortably.

"Well… I…" started Caspian but Serenity interrupted him.

"I took them with me," she said quickly.

"Why? Didn't I made it clear that it was time for you to stay home in England?" he asked while he looked to the Pevensies again.

"Yes… But Serenity said Narnia needed us… All four of us," stammered Peter guilty.

Aslan growled quietly and turned his head again to Serenity.

"It is true. I take full responsibility, but Aslan… Think about it: we can only win this with strong leaders. High King Peter is the best swordsman in history and Queen Susan the best archer. With them on our side, maybe then we can bring this to a happy ending," she said with a calm voice.

Aslan sighed and shook slowly with his golden manes.

"Perhaps you're right but I do not think it matters anymore…"

Caspian's heart skipped a beat, what was Aslan talking about?

"Why? What happened?" he asked hastily.

"Something bad," started Aslan, "The Northern Giants joined the monsters."

His yaw dropped. _The Northern Giants joined…? Oh no, that's really, really bad,_ he thought. The Northern Giants were known as real horrors. Hundreds of years ago they had also fought side by side with the White Witch and just like the Black Dwarfs they were treacherous. It was indeed bad news that they joined the monsters.

"Uhm, I am sorry… But what are those monsters we keep talking about?" asked Lucy curious.

Everyone kept quiet and Aslan looked at her with his golden-brown eyes.

"They are called Svartalfer," said Aslan. Curious Caspian listened to Aslan, he too didn't know anything about the monsters.

"Svartalfer?" asked Susan as she stumbled over the strange accent.

"Dark Elves," explained Serenity and Caspian looked at her. She did knew! Why didn't he? He was King, wasn't he?

"Dark Elves," repeated Peter slowly, "I thought they didn't exist in Narnia?"

The Kings and Queens nodded but Aslan shook his head.

"A few years ago they came into this world through a portal. They kept quiet for a while but when Miraz turned against Caspian, they joined his side. Miraz promised at his turn that if they fought with him against the Narnians, they could rule over the vicinity of the ruined Cair Paravel. He didn't liked those forests anyway. After their agreement he kept them secret."

Confused Caspian frowned.

"I thought Miraz didn't liked magical creatures…?" he wondered.

"Miraz was cunning and would do anything to defeat the Narnians," answered Aslan with a growl.

"You just said they were on Miraz' side but why didn't we saw them at the Battle of Aslan's How?" Edmund asked to Aslan. The rest of them also thought about the battle. Caspian couldn't indeed remember any Dark Elves, although he wasn't quite sure what they looked like, but still.

"During the duel between Miraz and Peter they hid in the forest for a surprise attack. But when Miraz was murdered, they saw his promise fade and they decided to leave."

There was a moment of silence but Aslan continued.

"Again they kept quiet for a while until I heard about the strange encampments in the forest near by the castle. This was about a few weeks after Caspian's coronation and I decided to take a look. Dark creatures I saw… Monsters were they and I quickly figured out they didn't belong in Narnia. I meditated for days to discover where they came from and what they were; Svartalfer."

"Right… So we have to fight against Dark Elves and now they even have the Northern Giants on their side?" said Caspian in panic. He now knew why Serenity had thought they had no chance without the Kings and Queens of Old, but even with them Caspian doubted if – just like Aslan – they could win this war.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked beside him. Susan stood against him and had laid her hand reassured on his shoulder.

"We won't give up, Caspian," she said determined and the others nodded approvingly, even Aslan.

Caspian fixated his look again on the lion. "What do we do, Aslan?" he asked.

"First I want to know what they're up to. They have been quiet for far too long. Only after we find that out, we can make plans to defend Narnia," answered Aslan.

"Alright… And how we're going to that?" he wondered.

Aslan nodded in the direction of Serenity and she widened her eyes.

"No way! I am not going there," she rejected and Aslan roared annoyed.

"Isn't it your job to keep Caspian safe?"

"Yes but I do not think I can do that while I am visiting the Svartalfer!"

"You can only protect him when you know what they are planning to do and adjust at it."

Serenity opened her mouth but closed it again. Caspian saw that she thought Aslan's logic was, well… Logical. But he didn't see the logic in it. _How can she protect me when she is not here?_ he wondered.

"Fine," she yielded eventually.

Caspian wanted to protest but Aslan interrupted him.

"Enough. We have decided. Serenity and I will now discuss the details of her mission. You five go do something else."

Again Caspian wanted to protest, he didn't like it to be cut off everything but Aslan looked at him with such a firm look that Caspian kept silence wisely.

"But we can stay?" Susan asked to be sure and Aslan nodded.

"For now, but Serenity… Know I don't like to not being obeyed. Do it again and you can leave," he said with a stern look to Serenity. She made a light reverence – not mockingly like she sometimes did to Caspian.

"I understand, Aslan," she answered.

"Actually I am kind of hungry," said Lucy with a small voice after a moment of complete silence and Caspian smiled lightly.

"Okay, we will go eat something then. Good luck with your meeting," he said to Serenity and he headed to the Dining Room and the Pevensies followed him.

* * *

Within a few minutes they stood in the Dining Room and Geoffrey rushed to them. He made a deep reverence and when he stood right up again, his yaw dropped from disbelief. He recognized the siblings from their last stay in the castle.

"The… The Kings and Queens of Old? All four of them?" he stumbled and Caspian laughed. Despite all the bad news he was still very excited that all Pevensies were here.

"Yes indeed, Geoffrey. You wouldn't mind to set the whole table for once?" he asked and Geoffrey clapped in his hands enthusiastic.

"Not at all, Your Majesties! But would you give us half an hour to prepare a feast meal? This has to be celebrated! We thought we would never see High King Peter and Queen Susan again!" babbled Geoffrey. Caspian shook his head laughing, typical Geoffrey.

"I think we can manage half an hour," answered Lucy with a smile and again Geoffrey clapped in his hands.

"Excellent!" he shouted and he ran away to the kitchen to put the chefs at work and tell them the unbelievable news. Even in the Dining Room they could hear his excited voice and they laughed at each other.

"So, what will we do in this half-hour?" asked Susan but before anyone could answer, the doors of the kitchen swung open and four servants entered the room. They held trays with tableware on it and started to set the table.

"Uhm… How about a quick tour through the castle?" suggested Caspian. The last time they were here, they had only seen their bedrooms and the next day they had already left to their own world.

The siblings all nodded approvingly and Caspian beckoned them in the direction of a door in the opposite way from where they had came from. He opened the wooden door and behind it there was a spiral staircase. Once at the top he opened a second door and he walked into the hall.

"Actually that was a servant stair but it is faster," he explained to them.

* * *

Caspian showed them the way through the castle and before they knew it, the half-hour had passed by. He had everything exactly calculated and they were now again in front of the door of the servant staircase. Just when he wanted to open the door, the handle went down and the door swung inward. Serenity was in the doorway and laughed when she saw their startled faces. They hadn't expected that the door would open.

"Ah, there you are. I was going to search for you, Geoffrey said dinner is ready," she said.

Not much later they sat with the six of them at the table and they enjoyed their dinner which the cooks had prepared in such little time. The table was so full it almost bended under its weight.

The Kings and Queens asked Caspian about his adventures the past year and he answered eagerly to their questions. Meanwhile he noticed that Serenity was a bit quiet. Normally she threw comments at everything but now she only stared at her plate and played with her cutlery.

"Is everything alright?" he asked her when the Pevensies were quiet for a moment.

Serenity looked up and nodded.

"Yeah, I am fine. I was just going through the plan in my head again," she answered.

The plan to spy on the Dark Elves, understood Caspian.

"When are you going?"

Serenity laid down her cutlery and pushed her plate away.

"Tonight."

Caspian almost choked in his food. No wonder she was so nervous, this morning she hadn't even knew or imagined she would spy tonight on the Svartalfer.

"Just be careful, alright?" he said and the Pevensies now also looked at her worriedly.

Serenity chuckled softly.

"I will try," she said with a wink and she stood up. As quiet as a cat she walked to the huge doors and left the Dining Room.

Caspian and the Pevensies talked a bit more but he knew for sure he wouldn't sleep calm later this evening now that he knew his protector was risking her life for them tonight.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Serenity had changed her clothes for more suitable ones. It were the same clothes that she had worn when she shadowed Caspian. With those clothes she could move much better in the shadows of the forest without being noticed.

She hoped everything would go fine, she and Aslan had made a plan but much could go wrong. The plan itself was simple and easy to remember: don't let them see you, hope they're all outside, search the tent of the highest in rank and find the plans of the Svartalfer. The one thing that would probably cause a problem was that the tent of the General most likely would be in the middle of the encampment. Serenity had no idea if she could get there unseen. And she hoped with whole her heart that the Dark Elves did not sleep and where outside, but somewhere she suspected – probably because of the name – that they were night creatures and slept during the day.

She walked to the huge mirror in her room and sighed deep. Quickly she made a high ponytail and began braiding the rest of it, so that her hair wouldn't be in the way. Pleased with the result she pulled the black hood over her head and walked to the door. She stepped in the hall and shut it behind her. Then she became one with the shadows of the walls and went to the drawbridge of the castle. In the darkness of the bridge she stopped for a moment. The way to the forest was unprotected, everyone could see her and she preferred to be unnoticed. After a while thinking she knew there was not another way, she had to run on the open field. She gathered all her energy and started to run as fast as she dared to.

* * *

Minutes passed by and the edge of the forest came closer. She gasped heavily and she felt that her legs were getting tired. Her condition was slightly worse since she lived in the castle. Before she became Caspian's protector she lived in the woods; the same forest where now the encampments were. Then she hadn't knew what they were and she went looking for the Chief of Narnia: Aslan. For days she tried to summon him with her amulet but he did not answer. She had almost given it up when suddenly she had almost bumped him.

"Daughter of the Forests, why are you searching for me?" had Aslan asked her with his low voice. Quickly Serenity had explained what she had seen and why she had abandoned her home. During their conversation, Aslan started to look surprised and in the end he had even growled. When Serenity had finished her story, it stayed quiet for a while until Aslan told her he would try to get more information about them. Until that time she had stay unnoticed and travel back to the surroundings of the castle of the King. During her search she had strayed far away so it would took her quite a while to return. Aslan however disappeared as suddenly as he had come and Serenity was alone again. This all had happened over a year ago and she shook her head to get rid of the memories. A lot could change in a few months; she had never imagined she would become the bodyguard of the King.

While she was lost in her memories was the edge of the forest came nearer. Not a minute later she ran between the shadows of the trees. She grabbed her amulet and ordered the trees to keep quiet. She was not sure if the Svartalfer talked 'Trees' but she could not take any changes. For a moment the leaves moved with loud noises in the wind, but quickly they went quiet again. They had listened to her and relieved she sighed softly.

She still ran as fast as she could and she saw the encampments approach by the minute. Luckily Serenity knew where the camp was and she stopped running half a mile before. She took her time to catch her breath and then climbed into the nearest tree. The resin of the tree stuck on her hands but she ignored it. Since she could walk she had climbed in trees, and she loved the challenge to get as high as possible without too much exertion. In no time she was five meters high and she decided that this was a good height. It was high enough to stay – hopefully – out of sight but low enough to observe everything well. She estimated the distance to the branch of the next tree and jumped to it. So it did go on for a while: she jumped from branch to branch and was as noiselessly as she could.

In the distance she saw a fire approaching and below her tents appeared. She became even more quiet and climbed slowly towards the heat. She was now only a few meters away from it and she hid between the leaves of the tree and she threw a look down. Her heart started to beat faster from the adrenalin, the Dark Elves sat indeed around campfires and made conversations with each other. Curious Serenity looked at them, they looked a lot like humans but they were graceful and taller. She gasped when she noticed the eyes of one of the Elves: they were completely black whereby it looked like they had two eye-formed holes in their heads.

_No wonder they are called 'Dark',_ she thought while she moved a bit out of the leaves. Because of the flickering flames of the campfire it was a bit hard to see but she thought they had pointy ears. Now she was looking a bit better, she also saw dark lines that run over their pale skin like tattoos.

She ripped her eyes of the monsters and tried to overlook the encampment. She could see tents and fires as far as her eyes reached and overwhelmed she blinked a few times with her eyes. How could she find the General's tent in this? It would be so much easier if she just could walk over ground instead of jumping from branch to branch; she then could easily miss things. Perhaps if she could knock down an Elf unconscious and steel his uniform…? She shook her head: no, that was a ridiculous idea. How could she possibly get one Elf and knock him down without any noise? She had no clue about how strong they were and maybe they had even special powers. No… it was no option.

Careful she left her hiding place and decided to go just look around. She hoped the General's tent was the biggest, which meant it could be easily spotted. She went in the direction of what she thought was the center of the camp and started searching for the tent. As much as she could she stayed in the shadows and tried to make as less leaves fall down as she could.

Minutes passed by and she had still not found anything, she and Aslan had not expected this. What did she had to do if she had not find anything at the end of the night? She decided to carry through and searched every square feet one by one. By each tent that she found suspicious, she stopped and imprinted their exact place in her head. If she could not find anything she would return to those tents and search them in the inside for something.

* * *

_There! _she yelled in her head when she thought she had searched for hours. This tent was twice as big as the other ones, it stood in a little open field and was dark-red instead of the white-yellow ones she had seen. Quickly she jumped towards it and stopped at the edge of the open field. With a trained eye she scanned her surroundings and soon she saw dark figures standing in the shadows.

_By Aslan's roar… The tent is guarded, _she thought down-hearted. How was she supposed to do this? She would never get in that tent unseen…

Serenity observed the guards for hours and meanwhile she was getting more restless, it did not look like they were going to change shifts. The five Svartalfer stood for hours on the same place without moving anything – not even a muscle. They were even so motionless that she wondered if they were real or not. Her neck became starch and she snapped it. Too late she realized it was a loud snap. The five shadows turned their heads in her direction. She was unable to see their next movements but before she knew it they stood around her tree. As quick as she could she rose but she was too slow. One of the five jumped with an unhuman-strength and grabbed the branch where she stood at. Her heart beat loud and fast she turned around. An ice-cold hand grabbed her from behind and dragged her downwards. She saw the ground quickly come to her and she realized she was not dragged but thrown down below. Protectively she held her arms in front of her face and she hoped she would not hit the ground too hard.

With a loud bounce she landed on the ground and a terrible pain rushed through her body. It felt like her right arm was broken but in this position she was not sure. Harsh she was pulled up and a Svartalfer grabbed her by her left arm and dragged her along to a campfire nearby. Grinding of the pain she tried to free herself from the Elf but his grip was too tight.

The Dark Elves around the campfire had seen her coming and stood up from their stump which they had used as a seating. The Elf that held Serenity dragged her inside the circle and threw her on the ground. She tried to stand up but the Elf pushed her down on her knees and turned her face towards the Svartalfer in front of her. She shook his hand of her and looked at the Elf furiously but held her lips tight. She was not going to talk first.

"Mahavir's daughter," said the Dark Elf.

Confused Serenity blinked her eyes. How did he knew her father's name? She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again. No, she would talk as less as she could.

The Svartalfer looked amused at her and her attention was drawn to his black eyes. She tried to figure out where his irises were and where his pupils but it was impossible. Everything was the same complexion of black. She wondered where those creatures came from and suddenly the Elf started to laugh loudly.

"Mahavir's daughter wants to know where we came from," shouted his voice over the camp and the other Elves started laughing too.

An icy shiver ran down her back. They could hear her thoughts!

The laugh of the Elf stopped.

"Only when we have eye contact."

Serenity could hit herself. Of course, otherwise they had heard her already while she was searching the encampment.

The Svartalfer kept looking at her with their dark eyes and she started to feel uncomfortable. They were only looking and minutes passed by while dawn appeared in the sky. Why did she have the feeling that they were searching in her memories? She tried to build a wall around her thoughts but the Elf started smiling and she figured out that it was not working.

"Stop it!" she shouted when she could not stand it any longer.

_Finally, you are talking… _she heard the voice of the Elf in her head. Her yaw dropped open and frightened she tried to stand up but the Elf next to her pushed her down on her knees again.

_Now the fun part can start, _said the voice and everything around her became dark.

Terrifying and horrible scenes appeared in front of her and it felt like she had stepped into a nightmare.

* * *

***Pam pam pam... Dramatic music***

**I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Tomorrow I am going on holliday so I won't be able to write or upload anything. After that school starts again so it can take a while before I will post a new chapter... **


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